Electrical method of welding.



E. H. JONES. ELECTRICAL MBTHGD 0E WELDING. APPLIOATIOK rmsn 1111.28, 1914.

Patented June 23, 1914.

UNITED STATES. PATENT oFFicE.

Ems HENRY JONES, or LONDON, ENGLAN ELECTRICAL METHOD OF WELDING.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J n 23, 1914. I Application filed February 26, 1914. Serial No. 821,197.- I

To all whom it may concern:

" at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Methods of Welding, of which the following is a-specification y This invention is for an improved electrical method of welding which is cheaper and at the same time more efiicient and convenient than existing "methods.

One feature of the present invention consists' in a method of welding which comprises connecting up the work to one terminal of an electrical circuit, connecting a single welding roller to the other terminal, circulating. cooling fiuid through the roller and supplying a low voltage current (for example of two volts) to the electrical circuit while pressing the roller on the Work.

It is known in electrical methods of welding to connect the work and a single rollerelectrode in series also it has also been proposed to use a current of lowvoltage for welding; further ithas been proposed to pass the'work between water cooled rollerelectrodes, but the method set forth above embodies all the useful features of these known systems insuch a way as to produce new and useful results. r

Other features of the invention W1ll be more. particularly described hereinafter, and reference is now directed to the accompanying drawings, wherein the invention is illustrated.

In these drawings Fig'ure l is an eleva-.

tion showing a welding apparatus arranged in its operative position relative to anarticle to be welded; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing one way in which welding may be effected; Fig.3 is a view of another welding apparatus and a method of using the same; F 4 is an elevation showing the parts of a tubular spoke iii- -position on a mandrel for Welding, and Fig. 5 1s aview, on a larger scale than Fig. 4, showing the mandrel and the parts of the spoke in section on the line 55 Fig. 4, and also showing a' welding apparatus in operativeposition;

Like letters reference refer to like parts throughout the accompanying drawings.

In carrying out the method of welding according to the present-invention the parts D, D to be welded (herein termed the work whichin Fig. 1 are parts of one a higher voltage.

To effect the Weld, the roller-electrode A v homogeneous strip, but in the remaining fig- Be it known that I, ERNEST HENRY J onus, a subject of the King of England, residing ures are separate and distinct parts, are connected to one terminal filo-f an electrical cir cuit. In Fig. 1, joint terminals A are shown these terminals are connected in parallel and the part D is connected to one and the part D to the other. This method may also be adopted in Figs. 2 and 3; The other terminal A of this circuit is connected to a single welding roller-electrode A which is carried on a support which may either be handor machine-controlled as desired. It is very necessary that the roller should be efliciently. cooled if good results are to be obtained; for this purpose therefore the roller-electrode A is traversed internally by a current ofcooling fluid which passes through the pipes C, 0 I

The electric current traversing the circuit, of which the parts A and A are the terminals, is of a low voltage, conveniently about two volts, but the amperage is large and may be varied as desired inaccordance with the nature of the material being welded. Byoperating at a low voltage much better results can be obtained than is possible with is brought into contact-with-the two edges to be welded, whereupon the electrical circuit within whichthese parts are included will be completed. When the current passes and suitable pressure is exerted on the roller B the edges of the parts D, D which are in.

contact with the roller-electrode, will be raised to a welding heat and thus can be pressed into a welded joint whereupon the welding heat will cease until the tool be moved to a fresh point where resistance to the current produces the resultant heating until a fresh weld or a continued weld is established. Since the amount of current passing through the circuit is under control, the temperature to which the metal is heated may easily be adjusted so that any required degree may be obtained. Wide or narrow edges may be welded together, the r ller-electrode being traversed along the edges as desired, or alternatively the rollerelectrode may be heldstationary and the partsto be welded be traversed in relation thereto until the weld is effected. To assist in forming the weld the edges 1) to be welded should be provided with a strip of surplus material... Conveniently they maybe turnedup as shown in Fig. 1, or beads the edges of the parts D The electric current passing through the roller A will cause this Iglutting'strrp and 1 to be raised to a welding heat till the pressure of the roller will have forced them into an integral joint. The use of a glutting strip, or a beaded or turned up edge, as just described, is not new ,andis not claimed broadly in the present specification.

. In Fig. 3 the parts D, D to be Welded are respectively a tube and a flat strip. A ring of wire D is laid into the angle formed by these two parts, after which the application of" electric current and pressure from the weldin roller will raise the three parts to the welding heat and solidly weld them together.v

The method described above in which a single welding roller is used is specially advantageous in cases where hollow, curved or irregular articles have to be welded and where the pressure of say a current-transmitting'roller cannotbe counteracted by say a current-receiving roller situated on the opposite side of the parts to be welded. In some cases it is possible to use a mandrel on which to support the articles to be welded. This method of welding'is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. In these figures the manufacture of tubular spokes is illustrated, but it is to be understood, of course, that the same method can be used in connection-with any other similar articles. A mandrel E is employed through which a cooling fluid is circulated'by pipes F, F and the conduits E The mandrel is shaped on its exterior to the final shape which it is desired that the at the mandrel E is shown as carrying the.

terminal A the tube elements making electrical contact withthe mandrel. The tube elements D, D before they are placed on the .mandrcl are formed with outwardly-turned angularly-disposed longitudinal edges D These edges D are not turned up substantially at right angles as is shown on Fig. 1 but are so arranged-that when the shapedtube elements D, D areplaced in position on the mandrel, the edges D will converge and touch as shown in Fig. 5. In this figure the welding operation is assumed to have .Figs. 4

been completed along one side of the mandrel, the chain lines representing'the positions' originally occupied by the edges D on this finished side.

The method of operation described above in connection with the preceding figures is followed in connection with the arrange ments shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The angularly-disposed converging edges D shown in Fig. 5, however, have very many advantagesfiin the cases where a mandrel can be employed. It is found that as the welding is proceeding and the roller A -is pressed down upon the edges D these latter working one into the other form a very neat and even joint, as compared with other methods which often only produce an irregular and unsightly joint.

It will be seen that both the roller A and the mandrel E are positively cooled, and

.since only a low voltage current is to be employed, themethod of welding illustrated in cient. v What I. claim as my invention and desir to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The herein described method of forming tubes by electric welding from elements having outwardly turned, angularly dis- "posed longitudinal edges, comprising supporting two of such elements with their adjacent edges converging and touching,

connecting said elements to one terminal of an electric circuit, connecting a single welding roller to the other terminal of the circuit, circulating a cooling fluid through the roller, and supplying a low voltage current to the electrical circuit while pressing the roller on theconverging edges of the tube elements.

'2. The method of forming tubes by electric welding consisting in forming tu'be elements with outwardly turned angularlydisposed longitudinal edges, placing such shaped tube elements in position on a tubular mandrel with the adjacent edges of the tube elements converging and touching, connecting the'tube elements to one terminal of an electrical circuit, connecting a single welding roller to the other terminal, circulating a cooling fluid through the roller and through themandrel, and sup'plyin a low voltage current to the electrical circuit while pressing the roller on the said outwardlyturned convergent edges'of the tube elements. I

3; The method of forming tubes by electric we ding consisting in forming tubehalves with outwardly-turned angularlydisposed longitudinal edges, placing a pair of such shaped tube-halvesin position on a tubular mandrel with their adjacent edges converging and touching, connecting the tube-halves to oneterminal of an electrical circuit, connecting a single welding roller and 5 will be both cheap and effiv p to the other'terminal, circulating a cooling cuit, connecting a single welding roller to flhidthrough the roller and vthrough the the other terminal, clrculating a cooling mandrel, and supplying a low voltage curfluid through the roller and through the rent to the electrical circuit while pressing mandrel, and supplying a low voltage cur- 5 the roller on the said outwardly-turned conrent to the electrical circuit while p 20. vergent edges of the tube-halves." the roller on the said outwardly-turned coni 4. The method of forming tubes by elecvergent edges of the tube elements; I 'tric welding consistin in forming tube In testimony whereof 'I' have signed my elements with outwar y-turne'd angularly-' name to thisspecification iii/the presence of 10 dlilsposied llongitudinal edges, placing slch two subscribing witnesses.

s a tu e e ements in sition on a tu ua 1 lar li i'andrel in electrical ontact therewith ERNEST e NRY ON with the adjacent edges of the tube elements Witnesses: 1 converging and touching, connecting the W. ETRoenns, 16 mandrel to one terminalof an electrical cir- I O. J. WORTH. 

